Motors North

Toyota Auris SR 180 2.2 D-4D five-door

TOYOTA’S quick turbodiesel Auris SR 180 is like the curate’s egg – good in parts. There was a time when it was fashionable to shoehorn a large-capacity turbodiesel engine into a family hatch and turn it into a "frugal" performance car – but global financial meltdown and high diesel prices have made the concept a lot less attractive than it was.

There’s nothing intrinsically wrong with Toyota’s sporty 2.2 litre turbodiesel SR. The 177bhp unit is a great puller and refined in the cruise with effortless overtaking, even in sixth. But there must be better engines to use for a hot hatch version of the former Corolla model, now renamed Auris.

Well there is – it’s the 124bhp two-litre D-4D and you can get that in another SR costing almost £1900 less, that’s only 9mph slower, takes around two seconds more to reach 62mph from rest and will average 52mpg instead of the 2.2’s 45mpg.

Put all that down in front of a prospective buyer and it won’t take long to bring him or her to a rather obvious conclusion – the cheaper 2.0 D-4D SR makes most sense, especially after the 2.5 per cent VAT reduction on December 1 that knocks more than £300 off the list price.

What this illustrates is that there are simply far too many model mixes about. Manufacturers need to take advantage of the current decline in sales and economic slowdown to delete models from their range that are already in niche markets, like the Auris SRs, and so close together in performance and ability that the differences are almost academic.

Having said that, the 2.2 SR is a satisfying car – but the two-litre version is just as appealing and a good bit cheaper.

The Auris has less character than the Corolla it replaced, but it is a typically well constructed Toyota. The body is lightly skinned but boasts a strong core that adds up to a 1.45 tonne kerb weight. But even with light panels Toyota has cleverly managed to make the doors close and appear like heavy construction to give the car a really solid feel.

The interior has a rather plasticky look and appearance, but the materials are top quality and fit perfectly.

It’s a given with Toyota that construction will be precise and the design functional and sensible. Reliability is a big plus factor too and it’s here that the SR scores well.

On the road it handles like a brisk hatch, but it’s hardly the stuff of hot hatch heaven. Acceleration is strong, but not spectacular. Rest to 62mph comes up in just over eight seconds and while the lusty 2.2 litre turbodiesel pulls superbly in every gear, there’s a lack of zest to the overall delivery. Steering is fairly accurate and the six-speed manual gearbox slick and fast when you need to slap through the ratios at speed.

But on a drive through the West Highlands on a dull, rain-swept November day the SR’s almost ordinary performance made it more of an able mile-eater than the kind of hot hatch you want to press on with. It was by no means unpleasant or dissatisfying, just a little on the soft side for an expensive hot hatch with the large lump under the bonnet.

On the accommodation front the SR delivered well, just like the rest of the Auris range. My five-door example was comfortable with good support in the front and reasonable comments from my rear seat passengers. But road noise over rougher surfaces was loud and driving on wet roads generated a fair amount of “swish” from the tyres through the car’s high-tech lightweight body.

But for all that it was a good car to tackle hilly and twisty West Highland roads on a sopping wet day. The ease of that big diesel came into its own on the worst of the sections to Ledmore Junction and made the run down to Ullapool a breeze – but I still think the smaller two-litre D-4D would have performed just as well.

The dash has too much plastic for my taste, but its design is simple and good to use in daylight and in darkness. Secondary switches are well positioned and the large “signal-box” lever that acts as a handbrake is a delight, thanks to its positive feel and easy action.

Auris replaced the Corolla some two years ago. Toyota may have shot itself in the foot by deciding to change the name of its highly-respected family hatch holdall, but to be fair the new car is technically better than its predecessor, if a little “ordinary”.

The SR is well appointed. Standard equipment includes an excellent electronic stability programme and powerful ABS brakes. You also get power steering with a reasonable feel of the road, alloys, central locking, climate control, front and rear powered windows, electric door mirrors, cruise control, a superb radio/CD combination and front and side airbags with front seat pre-tensioners. The rear seat splits and folds for better cargo utility and although the boot is not huge it does offer a reasonable 354 litres of space that can be expanded to 761 litres by dropping the rear seats.

At just 55 litres, the fuel tank is on the small side, but given its 45mpg overall mileage it should be possible to extract around 450 miles between fuel-station visits.

The big selling point with any Toyota is their construction quality and reliability. The Auris has that in plenty with the added ability to pull strongly thanks to its torquey, though in my opinion overlarge, turbodiesel. With 295lb.ft of torque it sails up slopes with ease and can tow up to 1.5 tonnes – a statistic that should endear it to caravanners and owners with trailers.

With a three-year or 60,000 mile warranty I doubt this car will ever see the inside of a service centre for anything other than routine work – though the service intervals of 10,000 miles may seem a little frequent in today’s world of extended oil-changes. However, it’s to Toyota’s credit that it insists on a service at this mileage – no matter how clever engineers become it is a fact that all diesel engines benefit from more frequent oil changes.

It’s because of that kind of attention to detail that Toyota has built up such a fine reputation for reliability.

Rating 7/10

FINAL THOUGHT: To be honest the Auris is hardly the kind of car that generates much excitement. Its strengths are in being a sensible and well-built family hatch that is economical to run and outstandingly reliable. So why drop a small diesel truck engine into the body and pretend it’s a hot hatch? It does not work for me and I’d think anyone looking for a sporty version of this otherwise fine family hatch should consider the significantly cheaper 2.0 D-4D Auris SR first.

Toyota Auris SR 180 2.2 D-4D five-door

Price: £18,695 (at 17.5% VAT)
Capacity: 2231cc
Power: 177bhp
0-62mph: 8.1 seconds
Maximum speed: 130mph
Economy: Combined 45.6mpg; Urban 35.8mpg
CO2 emissions: 164g/km
ESP: Standard
Insurance: Group 12

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Toyota Auris SR 180 2.2 D-4D five-door